Appendix:Effort Values

Effort Values, also known as EVs in abbreviation, are attributes which give bonuses to a Pokémon's base stats, depending on the Pokémon they defeat. Effort Values are extremely important in competitive Pokémon battling, as they help trainers improve their Pokémon's performance in battle.

In the past generations of core series Pokémon games, Effort Values were hidden values which players could only get a vague idea through the difference of stats. From Pokémon X and Y onward though, the "Effort-O-Meter" is introduced to display the Effort Value distribution of players' Pokémon graphically. The Meter is implemented on Pokémon Brick Bronze as well.

Earning Effort Values
Effort Values are earned by defeating Pokémon, whether it is from a wild encounter or from a Trainer Battle. From the core game series Pokémon X and Y onward, catching Pokémon also gives players Effort Values as well. It is gained along with experience points, so Pokémon which did not participate in battle will not gain EVs, unless the player has turned on the key item Exp. Share. Each Pokémon has different types and quantities of EVs, so the player must be careful in selecting which Pokémon to defeat if he or she wants to optimize a stat. For example:

Sexesex

Herdier -- the evolved form of Lillipup, offers 2 Physical Attack EVs when beaten. Pinsir and Heracross, despite having no evolution, offer 2 Physical Attack EVs when defeated as well. Usually evolved forms of Pokémon, including final forms of double-stage Pokémon, provide 2 Effort Values upon defeat, while final forms of triple-stage Pokémon give out 3 EVs in total. Legendary and Mythical Pokémon, as well as some single-stage Pokémon which have stats rivalling fully-evolved Pokémon, also offer greater amounts of Effort Values. However, there are some Pokémon offering EVs for multiple stats when defeated:

EV Training
EV Training is the process in which a Pokémon Trainer defeats a specific group of Pokémon in order to increase certain stats of his or her own Pokémon. It is considered to be one of the most important processes in creating competitive Pokémon, aside from Breeding. This is because Effort Values can drastically improve a Pokémon's performance compared to a non-EV Trained Pokémon. Investing EVs can also allow a Pokémon to pull off different roles aside from what their base stats say.



How to see Effort Values
Effort Values can be seen by using the "Effort-O-Meter" which displays the amount of Effort Values invested in a graph, allowing it to visualize the progress. All players can see this "Effort-O-Meter" by clicking the hexagon in the middle of Pokémon Summary interface, without paying anything. However, it does not show the specific number of EVs invested for their Pokémon, making it a problem to track how much EVs the players' Pokémon need without calculations.

For more competitive players who have sufficient Robux on hand, they can purchase the Advanced Stat Viewer Gamepass for 50 Robux, which allows them to see the number of EVs they have invested in all stats. In addition, it also displays the number of Individual Values a Pokémon has, which is another important aspect of competitive Pokémon battling.

The current maximum amount of Effort Values invested into a single stat is 252, and the maximum amount of Effort Values a Pokémon can receive overall is 510, which means only 2 stats out of all 6 can be maximized.

Before Starting
Although EV Training can be extremely beneficial for players' Pokémon, it can also be extremely tedious and monotonous. Therefore, before starting the arduous journey, players should make a plan on how to EV Train their Pokémon before putting their time and energy into it.

Here are some questions to think about:
 * 1) What will the Pokémon being trained do for the team?
 * 2) What EVs should be invested in order for the Pokémon to do this role?
 * 3) Where to go in order to get these EVs?
 * 4) How many EVs are needed?

Each Pokémon usually have some base stats that are extremely good, in which it is recommended to invest in them in order to make them as powerful, tanky or as speedy as possible. Nevertheless, how to distribute those Effort Values is up to the player.

Increasing EV Yields
There are many ways to increase the amount of EVs collected from a Pokémon. Although any Pokémon participated in battle (or, any Pokémon in party if Exp. Share is on) will gain Effort Values from the opponent, it is highly recommended to find ways to increase yields in order to make EV Training easier and less monotonous.

One way to increase yields is through the Macho Brace, a held item that can be equipped on a Pokémon to double the Effort Value acquired, at the cost of halving the Pokémon's speed. This can be bought at the Battle Colosseum for 120 BP. Another set of held items are the Power item series, consisting of Power Weight, Bracer, Belt, Lens, Band and Anklet, having the effect of adding 4 EVs to their corresponding stats after gaining experience, again at the cost of having the Pokémon's speed until the item is removed. However, the Power items are currently not available.

Additionally, players who are rich on Robux can buy EV Ro-Powers to double or triple the Effort Value yields. The 2x EV RO-Power costs 15 Robux while the 3x EV Ro-Power costs 25 Robux. Unlike the Macho Brace, it can affect all Pokémon in party, and without halving the Pokémon's speed, making it useful to train multiple Pokémon at once. However, it only lasts for an hour and costs Robux, whereas the Macho Brace can be used forever.

The Macho Brace and EV Ro-Powers stack, which means players can potentially train multiple Pokémon extremely quickly.

How to Rematch Trainers
Trainers are usually the best way to EV Train, since they provide an easy source of EVs, EXP and in-game money. However, some Trainers may not be able to be battled again after being defeated for the first time. The Wikia provides a helpful way to identify Trainers that can be battled again through the * symbol, making it easy for players to keep battling them. Despite this, players must know how to be able to rematch Trainers easily in order to reap the benefits. There are three easy ways for players to be able to rematch Trainers:

Note: It is highly recommended to manually save the game after each battle before leaving the game, to prevent losing all progress during that time.

Leaving the Area
One way for players to rematch Trainers is by simply leaving the area and coming back to it. However, players must pass through a gate to the next area before the Trainer can be battled again. If the player fails to pass through a gate that connects the two areas, all Trainers that have been battled in the previous area will not be available for rematch. In addition, it can also be troublesome if the Trainer in question is far away from the gates or a large area of wild encounters is blocking the player's path.

Rejoining the Game
Another way for players to rematch Trainers is by leaving the game itself and rejoining. However, it can also be somewhat tedious, as the player has to keep restarting the game after saving and leaving in order to battle Trainers again, and reloading the games is rather time-consuming. On the upside, once the player restarts the game again, they will always respawn back where the player saved.

Player Search
The final way for players to rematch Trainers is by using Player Search function in the Recreational Teleportation Device. The Player Search is the most efficient way for players to keep battling Trainers for EV Training, as the player can simultaneously save the game and be able to rematch Trainers again and again. All the player needs to do is open the RTD, choose "Player Search" and click the "Join" button next to player's friends who are listed as in "Adventure" mode. Entering any name that is in the server with them and clicking "Join", as well as accessing either Battle Colosseum or Trade Resort then returning to Adventure Mode also works. Players can even search for their own name and click "Join" and it still would function normally. Although it is extremely efficient, the Player Search only works if the RTD has a good signal, which means that it will fail if the player is far away from a town or a Pokémon Centre.

Hotspots
This game provides some ideal places or trainers for gaining specific EVs efficiently. For a list of these hotspots, please refer to Training Hotspots.

Trivia

 * In previous generations, the maximum amount of Effort Values in a single stat was 255. Starting from Pokémon X and Y, it has been changed to 252.
 * However, since stats only increase for every 4 EVs, the bonuses gained are identical, and possibly more helpful as players will not be wasting EV space.